Type-writer.



No. 664,484. Patented Dec. 25, I900.

G. W. LANDON. p

TYPE WRITER.

{Application filad July 6, 1897.)

(No Model.)

4 Shoots-Sheet l.

No. 664,484. Patented [a -25, I900; a. w. LAupou.

TYPE WRITER:

(Application filed Julyfl; 1897.)

(HP Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

5 I b N H v. I N L i=1 i) O I 'x v H I Q 1 N ,t H a I O 5 i K a T U Ll LILILLI U UL U U I 0 0 B 5! 2 r a D d e t n o t a P N 0 D N A L W cm. J a4 6 6 0 N TYPE WRITER. (Applic at ion 1115a July 6. 1897.\

4 Sheik-Shoot 3.

(No IIodaL) No. 664,484 Patented 000.25, I900.

G..W.Y.LANBDN.

TYPE WRITER.

(Application filed, July 6, 1897, (NoModgL) 4 Sheets-Sheut 4.

Q/Vitneoo 2o UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE w. LANDoN; or KENT, INDIANA.

TYPE-WRITER.

S-PEGIFIIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,484, datedDecember 25, 1900. Applioatibn filedJ l a, 1897; was... 643,567. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. LANDON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kent, in the county of Jefferson and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-Writers, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to type-writers, and has for its object to providea. simple, cheap, and effective construction of type writer which isadapted to write on plain sheets of pape r,and more particularly adaptedfor writ ing on open books; and my invention consists in the variousfeatures of construction and arrangement of the parts having the generalmode of operation, substantially as hereinafter more particularly setforth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated apreferred embodiment of my invention, Figure l is a front eleyationshowing the general features of construction and arrangement of themachine. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig.3 isa central verticallongitudinal sectional view of the machine. Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof the letter-spacing devices. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views. Fig. 7 isa detail plan View of the line spacing mechanism, parts being brokenaway. Fig. 8 is a detail side view of the same. Fig. 9 is a detail sideview of one side of the friction-clutch, the shaft upon which saidclutch is mounted being shown in section; and Fig. 10 is a similar viewof the opposite side of the clutch.

While, as above indicated, my improved type-writer is adapted to writeon fiat sheets of paper, it is also adapted and is more speciallyintended for use in writingon'books, and I will now proceed to describethe embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings.

The main frame A of the machine may be suitably constructed of anydesired material and of any particular shape and comprises, as shown inthe present instance, a base or cross piece or pieces A, side pieces Aand an end piece A while the whole is supported on suitable feet A. Thisframe, as shown, is substantially rectangular in shape and supports themain carriage B, the latter being arranged in the present instance toslide in grooves a. This carriage carries the printing-wheel andadjunctive devices, together with means for moving the carriagelongitudinally in the frame to make the line-spaces; as moreparticularly pointed out hereinafter:

The material on which the writing is to be made is supported on anadjustable table mounted in the main frame,and this table is shown ascomprising two parts 0 0, connected to the frame in any suitable manner,as by the hinges '0 C there being preferably four to each table, (all ofwhich are not shown in the drawings,) so that each section of the tablecan be adjusted independently of the other to suit the thickness of thebook as it is being printed. Some means must be used for supporting eachtable-section in its proper elevated position, and I have shown screws 0passing through the base or cross piece A of the frame. Extendingbetween the sections of the table is a gage 0 which is secured to theframe A by threaded bolts and nuts C and is adapted to support the backof a book when the sections are in their lowered position and in thesame horizontal plane, and each of the sections of the table israbbeted, as at c, to receive a filling-piece C to make a flat tablewhen printing on single sheets. When it is desired to insert thefilling-piece C the sections of the table are elevated above the base ofthe frame and above the gage O and brought to the same horizontal plane.It will thus be seen that the table may be adjusted to any desiredheight and arranged to have aflat continuous surface on which to lay thesheets of paper or other material when they are being printed, or eitherof the sections of the table can be adjusted to the desired height tosupport the book in proper alinement for printing, and it will beunderstood that these sections will be adjusted according to whether thefirst part or last part or other portion of the book is being printed atany particular time. This arrangement of table is useful in connectionwith the remaining portions of my improved device; but it is obviousthat it can be used with other forms of printing wheels and carriagesadapted to cooperate with it.

The carriage B is provided with an upright frame-like front portion B,the upper edge of which is shown beveled, as at b, to facilitate theadjustment of the machine to suit difierent lengths of line.

carriage is a type-wheel carriage D, it being connected thereto by anysuitable means, as by the bolts or projections 01 d, engaging a slot bin the upright front portion. Mounted on this type-wheel carriage is awheel E, beingsupported on a bearing or stud e, and this wheel carriesthe printing-type, and in order to properly support and steady the wheelI use a guard E, having a rabbet e, in which the edge of the wheelmoves.

7 The type proper-are mounted in type-holders, and these are in turnmounted on the face of the wheel E, the holders being sectorshaped, asbest shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and being arranged around the wheel andbeing of anydesirednumber,accordingto thecharacter of the printing to bedone. Thus the sectors F carry the type-holders F, which latter areprovided at their outer ends with recesses f to receive the type proper,and the upper portions are secured to the type-wheel by guiding-staplesF one portion of the staplepassing through the slot f in the body of theholder, the upper end of the holder being bent at f to embrace thestaple, and a spring F being interposed between the upper end of thetype-holder and the lower portion of the staple to hold the holder inits normal position to permit it to be depressed or extended outward forthe purpose of printing in the manner hereinafter set forth. Suitableindicating-letters are placed on the inside of the wheel, correspondingwith the character of each particular type, and in order to keep thetype-holders in proper ali-neinent on the wheel 1 preferably use a ringF which passes outside the lower portion of the staple, above thetype-holder and between the staple and the type-holder, and this ringbears against all of the type-holders and keeps them in place.

The type being thus arranged on the face of the wheel, some means mustbe provided for selecting the desired type and bringing it into printingposition, and I have shown as mounted on the stud or pivot can arm orsweep G, having a slot g, permitting it to move in and outon its stud,and at its outer end having a recess g, adapted to embrace a staplesecuring a type-holderand permitting it to be slid outward to extend theparticular type-holder, so that its type will project beyond theperiphery of the wheel. In order to facilitate this movement, the sweepis provided with, a handle 9 and there is arranged in front of thewheela circular guide H, in this instance supported from the guardpiecoE back of the carriage B, and this guide limits the movement of thesweep, the handle bearing on the inner periphery of the guide. Thus,when it is desired to select any particular letter the sweep is broughtopposite the indicated letter on the Wheel and then moved longitudinallyon its pivot until its notched portion 9 engages the staple of thedesired letter, and the sweep and wheel are turned to bring the letterinto printing position. Asit moves into printing position the handle 9of the sweep comes opposite a notch h in the guide H, and this permitsthe .type to be projected sufficiently to come in contact with theinking-wheel I and receive a proper quantity of ink. A further movementof the sweep brings the type into printing position opposite the notchh. in the guide H, when the sweep and type are depressed, making theimpression, the notch h serving as a guide for the type-carrierand sweepand limiting its movement. When the sweep is released, the spring Fretracts the type, forcing the sweep inward to its normal position, whenit can be moved around to engage the next letter desired, and the sameoperations are repeated.

In order to holdthe type-Wheel E normally stationary, I find itconvenient to employ a brake F which is mounted on the-guard E and bearson the wheel E. So, also, in practice I mount the inking-wheel I on apivoted arm I and provide a spring 1 which normally holds theinking-wheel I in operative position, but permits it to yield whenstruck by the type.

As each type is impressed on the paper it is necessary to provide meansfor moving the type-wheel forward into a position to impress the nextsucceeding letter or to make what is commonly known as a letter-space,and to do this I arrange a lever J on the type-wheel carriage, whichlever projects in frontof the guide H and is connected therewith by astudj, sliding looselyin a slot h in said guide, while its free endprojects in front of the re cess h. This lever is maintained in thisposition normally by a spring J; but when the sweep is moved downward tomake the impression with the type the handle 9 thereof engages the leverJ, rocking the shaft K, to which it-is connected. Mounted on this shaftis an arm K, carrying a pawl 70, engaging the teeth Z of a rack L,secured to the front portion B of the main carriage,the said rack beingconveniently marked with any scale, as l, 2, 3, 850. Also mounted on theshaft K is a clutch-pawl is, engaging the teeth Z of said rack. As thelever J is depressed the pawl 10 is moved to the right (see Fig. 4) onenotch, and when the sweep is released the spring J retracts the lever J,operating the rock-shaft K and forcing the type-wheel carriage on whichthe shaft is mounted one step to the right, ready to impress the nextletter, and the clutch-pawl it engages the next tooth Z to hold thecarriage in position. It will thus be seen that the act of making theimpression puts the spring J under tension, so that when the sweep isreleased the spring automatically retracting feeds the type-wheelcarriage one step in advance. The lever J is also provided with a handleJ by means of IIO which the type-carriage can be fed step by step tomake the word-space without the he cessity of operating the sweep anddepressing a type-holder. This knob also serves to depress the lever J,so that the type-carriage can be moved back to position to commence anew line on the page, and it will be seen that when the lever isdepressed the pawls 7c and k are disengaged from the teeth -of the rackand the carriage can be slid back or forth, as desired.

Having provided for the printing, the typespace, and the word-space, itis necessary to provide for making the line-space, and in theconstruction illustrated I have shown the main carriage B as providedwith a pivoted head-block M, hinged at m at each end to the base andcarrying a shaft M, on which are mounted the pinions m, which arearranged to engage the racks m secured to the side pieces A of the mainframe A. Itis evident that if the shaft M is rotated the pinions m,engaging the racks m will propel the main carriage forward to make thedesired space, and in order that this can be done I fix upon the shaft Ma collar on, upon which is mounted to rotate freely in one direction afriction or clutch wheel M provided at one side with a spring-pawl mwhich engages and is adapted to rotate the collar m and shaft when thewheel is moved in one direction, but to slip on the collar when moved inthe opposite direction. This wheel is shown in the present instance asbeing operated by an inclined flight 12 on the edge of the wheel. Thisclutchwheel is adj ustably mounted on its bearings, so that it can bemoved laterally on the shaft and adjusted in position according to thelength of the line of printing being made. Thus, for instance, if theprinting is on one page only of the book this wheel is adjusted so thatthe carriage need not be brought back clear across the adjacent page,but only to the beginning of the page being operated on, and the reasonfor this is that the wheel M is operated automatically by the returnmovement of the type-wheel carriage. As a convenient means of adjustingthe clutchwheel and for holding it in its adjusted position the shaft Mis formed with a longitu dinal groove m and at separated points withtransverse recesses m which intersect the groove in, and adapted toengage the recesses m is a spring-pressed clip m pivoted to one side ofthe collar m", the said clip being formed with a projection m adapted toengage the groove m and maintain the relative positions of the collarand its shaft M. In order to operate this wheel M there is mounted onthe type-wheel carriage aroller N, and this roller is preferably carriedin an arm or bracket N, pivoted tothe back face of the carriage D, andis adjustable thereon by means of the slot N and a suitable thumbscrewN. In this way the position of the roller N can be adjusted so that anydesired amount of line-space can be produced by each return movement ofthe type-carriage, the

roller N striking the inclined flight 12 at different points anddepressing it more or less, thereby rotating the clutcl1-wheelM ,andwith it the collar m and the shaft M, the required distance to move themain carriage to make the desired line-space, and a weight causes thewheel to retract independently of the collar and shaft. I thus obtain auniversal or variable line-space feed that can be made to correspondwith the space between the lines of ruled. paper when such is used ormay be otherwise adjusted, as desired.

When it is desired to return the main carriage to its normal position,the pivoted headblock M may be raised and engage the stop 0, which willdisengage the pinions m from their racks, and the carriage may beadjusted as desired. So, also, I provide adjustable stops P on the frontportion B of the carriage to determine the length of the lines bylimiting the return movement of the typewheel carriage D, the said stopsbeing adapted to be engaged by an arm k on the rockshaft K when thecarriage arrives at either terminal of its movement, the stops andcooperating parts being so arranged that when the carriage reaches theright-hand side of the frame, or, in other words, when the end of a lineisreached, the pawl is lifted by an arm 70 of the arm 70 out ofengagement with the rack L, and when the carriage is shifted back to itsinitial position the arm 70 is engaged by the stop P and the pawl againthrown into engagement with the rack. This latter operation of coursetakes place after the spacing has been effected.

With this general description of the construction and arrangement of mydevice its operation will be largely understood and need not be detailedherein, and it will be seen that my device can be used for printing onsingle sheets of paper orbooks with equal facility and that the book orpaper being in proper position the sweep is moved to engage thetype-holder carrying the desired type. The wheel is then moved around toprinting position, the type being inked in the passage and then presseddownward to make the l!!!- pression on the paper. This act operates thelever controlling the feed, setting it in position, so that when thelever is released the type-carriage will be moved to make the typespaceready for the next impression.

The space between the words can be made by moving the same lever and thetype-wheel carriage returned to its normal position by its aid. Thisreturn of the type-carriage automatically depresses the inclined flightconnected with the clutch' and rotates the'shaft, carrying the pinionsengaging the racks on the main frame and feeds the main carriage forwardthe desired distance to make the line-space, and the parts are inadjustment for further operation.

All the parts are simple of construction, can be readily made andadjusted, and the wheel into printing position and to engagewholeconstitutes a relatively inexpensive type-writer capable of extended useunder different circumstances.

What I claim is 1. In a typewriter, the combination with a rotatabletype-wheel provided with a series of movable type-holders and arotatable sweep adapted to engage any one of the type-hold- .ers torotate the type-wl1eeland to be moved longitudinally independently ofthe typewheel to actuate the type-holders to carry the type into contactwith the paper, substantially as described.

2. In a type-writer, a type-wheel having on its face a series oftype-holders, a rotatable and longitudinally-movable sweep adapted toengage the type and bring the wheel into position, and a guide forpreventing the longitudinal movement of the sweep except atpredetermined points, substantially as described.

3. In a type-writer, a type-wheel'having a series of type-holders on itsface, a sweep arranged to engage the type and bring the wheel intoprinting position, aguide having notches controlling the movement of thesweep, and an inking-wheel arranged adjacent to the type-wheel, theguide being arranged to permit the movement of the type to impinge onthe inking-wheel substantially as described.

4. In a type-writer, a type-wheel having a series of type-holdersmounted on its face, staples securing said typeholders, and a sweeparranged to engage the staples to move thewheel to printing position andto engage the type-holders to make the impression, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a type-writer, a type-wheel having a series of type-holders on itsface, staples securing the holders in position, a sweep having a notchto engage the staples to move the the type-holders to make theimpression, and a guide controlling the movements of the sweep,substantially as described.

6. In a type-writer, the combination with a type-wheel having a seriesof type-holders on its face, of staples for securing the hold ers inposition, a sweep longitudinally movable on its axis arranged to engagethe staples to move the type-wheel into position, and a guidecontrolling the movement of the sweep, said guide having a notchpermitting the sweep to be moved to make the impression, substantiallyas described.

7. In a type-writer, the combination with a support for the material tobe printed upon, of a type-wheel having type on its face, a rotatableand depressible sweep for bringing the type into position, and formoving them into contact with the material to be printed upon, a guidecontrolling the sweep constructed to permit the depression of the sweepat a predetermined point, a lever arranged adjacent the guide adapted tobe engaged by the sweep when it is depressed and feeding mechanismconnected with the lever for moving the wheel laterally relative to thesupport to make the type-space, substantially as described.

8. In a type-writer, the combination with a type-wheel carrying type onits face, of a sweep for bringing the type into printing po-' sition, aguide for said sweep, a notch in the guide controlling the movement ofthe sweep, a spring-actuated lever arranged adjacent to said notchwhereby the level can be operated and the spring put under tension, andfeeding devices operated by said spring-actuated lever, substantially asdescribed.

9. In a type-writer, the combination with a type-wheel carrying thetype, of a feeding device comprising a rock-shaft, a spring-actuatedleverconnected thereto, pawls on the rock-shaft, a rack on the frame,and means for moving the lever when the impression is made whereby theact of making the impression puts the lever under tension and permits itto operate to feed the type-wheel, substantially as described.

10. In a typewriter, the combination with the type-wheel carriage, of amain carriage, a shaft mounted on the main carriage having pinionsengagingarack on the frame, a clutch also on the shaft, and connectionsbetween 9 the type-Wheel carriage and clutch whereby the main carriageis moved a line-space when the type-wheel carriage is retracted,substan- I tially as described.

11. The combination with the main carriage, of a shaft mounted thereonhaving pinions engaging a rack on the frame, a clutch on the shaft, aninclined flight connected to the clutch to move the type-carriage, anddevices on the type-carriage to engage the inclined flight for movingthe main carriage, substantially as described.

12. The combination with the frame, of a table comprising separatedindependentlyadjustable sections, each adapted to support one portion ofa book, and a filling-piece for closing the space between the sections,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this'specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. LANDON.

Witnesses:

RICHARD TEMPERLY, DAVID WHEATE.

